What better solution to holiday hang-ups over live Christmas trees than a list of 12 tips for the care and feeding of your live tree?

1. Choosing the variety

Live trees come in several different varieties. Some are hardier and able to withstand longer periods without water, while others can be stockier and better suited to heavy lights, ornaments and garland. Finding which varieties are available near you is as easy as calling the nearest Christmas tree farm, and it might give you a chance to pick up a species you didn’t know was available nearby.

2. Watering your tree

Keeping a tree healthy during the weeks leading up to Christmas shouldn’t be all that intimidating, although a number of myths seems to surround proper Christmas tree care. Proper hydration is key to maintaining a tree’s health, and the National Christmas Tree Association recommends indoor trees be maintained in a tree stand containing a quart of water for every inch across the tree’s trunk. A flat cut across the bottom of the tree will help it best absorb water, and making a fresh cut once the tree gets home is recommended.

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Healthy trees are not likely to pose a major fire hazard, but certain steps should be taken to avoid increasing the risk of fire. Keeping your tree well hydrated and away from air vents, heat sources and direct sunlight are the best ways to make sure your tree remains an asset and not a liability, according to the NCTA.

4. Selecting the right size

Helping people choose the right size tree seems to be an endless frustration for Christmas tree farmers. Leo Collins, owner of Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm in Heiskell, said every year people take home trees that need a major adjustment when they come inside. The solution is to measure a tree before cutting it and to keep in mind the height of the tree stand and any tree toppers that you might not want bent over against your ceiling.

“The height in the field is pretty close to the height it’s going to be. If it’s 8 feet, then it will fit, but there’s not room for anything on top, so a 7- or 7.5-foot tree is really what you need if you’ve got a regular 8-foot ceiling,” Collins said.

5. Getting your tree home

Once you’ve found the perfect Christmas tree for your holiday decorations, you’ll want to get it home safely. That means having the tree baled on site and securely attaching it to your vehicle. The safer you secure the tree, the safer your drive home will be.

6. Insect-proofing

Before the tree comes inside, it’s a good idea to look it over for any bugs. Combing through the tree and shaking any bugs out before they get indoors is a good idea, Collins said, but it is possible to take things too far.

“When you bring the tree in, there’s likely to be some little bugs there,” he said. “I’m sure if you really didn’t want any bugs, you could take a water hose and hose the tree off, but that’s a bit overkill.”

7. Praying you don't have, well, praying mantis eggs

Speaking of bugs, you might notice a small, brown balls on the tree about the size of a quarter that didn’t come off during the initial shaking. These are praying mantis eggs, and while Collins noted that the bugs are good for the tree while it’s outside, they don’t make great house guests. In fact, if the eggs stay in the indoor warmth for too long, they’re likely to hatch and scatter hundreds of critters around the house. Fortunately, they can easily be removed from a tree, but you’ll need to be vigilant to notice them.

8. Pursuing a prickly tree for pets

While bugs can be pests when they come indoors with your tree, pets can make having a live tree that much more of a burden. When it comes to keeping your pet’s attention away from your expensive collection of fragile and delicately hung ornaments, a prickly variety like the Norway Spruce might be a good solution.

9. Paying in cash

If you decide to go to a choose-and-cut farm instead of a big box retailer to pick out your tree, be prepared to have to pay in cash. While, some Christmas tree farmers like Collins have made the switch to plastic and embraced credit and debit cards, it’s not a safe bet to leave your cash at home, especially if you’ve got a long drive to your nearest tree farm.

10. Is adding to the water necessary?

A handful of myths surround what exactly should be in the water that you provide for your tree. While certain camps claim Sprite or aspirin make for great, cheap ways to keep your tree healthy, Collins said that he is firmly committed to plain water and that the science backs him up.

“There have been a number of studies done by universities on what is the best way to keep a tree fresh, what can you use as far as commercial preparations, water, aspirin, Sprite,” he said, “to my knowledge, those studies have come up with there’s nothing better than water.”

Will Baker kneels to cut down a Christmas tree at Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm in Heiskell on Sunday, December 2.(Photo11: Andrew Capps)

11. Preventing needle drop

Preventing needle loss is a major concern for owners of live trees, and regular care provides a good solution, but which species of tree you choose can also help keep your tree hang on to more of its needles as Christmas approaches.

“The Frasier Firs really last the longest; they’re extremely hardy,” Collins said. “The Virginia Pine does a great job, the Leyland Cypress does a good job; the only one that I really warn people about is the Norway Spruce. They will do fine foe six weeks or so, as long as you keep them watered.”

Will Baker carries his Christmas tree across the field at Bluebird Christmas Tree Farm on his way to the farm's baler.(Photo11: Andrew Capps)

12. Finding a mature tree

Perhaps the biggest challenge in having a live Christmas tree this winter is actually finding one that has reached maturity. A shortage of Christmas tree across East Tennessee and the country has made buying real trees harder and more expensive.

“About 12 years ago, there was a surplus of trees, so the price was depressed. People were growing them, but not making a great deal. Then the recession hit, so prices were kept down even longer, and more and more people were saying, ‘This is not worth all the effort,’” Collins said. “Put both of those together and there were just about 2 million trees nationwide that weren’t planted that would be coming to market now, but were never put in the ground.”